New Life New Insights
by princessde
Summary: Rachel Berry has the apartment to herself while Kurt is home taking care of his father. Rachel has just auditioned for her first Broadway part. Life is good for Rachel Berry, and she hasn't seen anyone at McKinley in two years. But an old face wanders into the diner one day and Rachel's heart begins to beat rapidly, just like high school. Rachel and Quinn
1. Chapter 1

_So here is my new Glee story. This one is a Quinn Rachel story because I really miss Quinn and I think they would be good together. Let me know what you think, criticism is appreciated. Other chapters will generally be a little longer, but this is just a taste to see if you guys like and would want to read _

Chapter 1

Being a grown up in New York sure had its perks. She had her own place, at least for the next three months while Kurt was home caring for his dad who had cancer, and she could do whatever she liked. Long gone were the slushies and the ridicule of McKinley high school and here were the days that Rachel Berry could walk into her apartment and change into her nightgown and down a bottle of red wine and several helpings of spaghetti and meatballs on a Thursday night, before a late start with classes at 11 on Friday morning.

She had already called her fathers on the subway on her way home and had given Mr Shue her weekly call. She still kept in touch with him, and Finn through Kurt, but other than that, no one from McKinley even know what she was doing these days. She didn't post on Facebook or Twitter, and she didn't make a habit of contacting them. She simply didn't want to hear from them, nor did she have anything to say to them.

Rachel sat in front of the television, with a bootleg copy of Funny Girl playing on the screen. She had returned today from her audition for Funny Girl on Broadway, and although she felt it had gone well, there was nothing she could do now except wait. She was thankful she had classes and work to take up her time until next week when she would find out whether she got the role.

She didn't even notice the wine or the pasta had gone until the television program ended, but it was now eleven thirty at night, and she decided to catch some sleep before her day tomorrow. Her class may not be till eleven, but she had a long shift at three and she couldn't handle the New York crowd without some serious sleep.

QUINNRACHELQUINNRACHEL

Class had been uneventful that day, except for the lecturer of her dance history class asking once again when Kurt was coming home, but now she was dressed all in red and serving coffee at work. It was the same Friday crowd. The businessmen, who had taken a late lunch, the actors and production teams from all of the Broadway shows catching an early bite before their evening show and the streetwalkers, the tourists who are fascinated by the impromptu shows this diner often provided. Then, an hour later, came the students, those who needed study time away from their apartments or dorm rooms, and she was usually left serving them at around four in the afternoon.

There was a group of them in the back corner that looked to be working on some kind of project. She looked over at Belinda who seemed occupied with the men in suits at the other end of the diner, and Ben, who was staring at a girl while he made her coffee, so Rachel grabbed her order book and headed to the back of the diner.

"Can I take your order?" Rachel asked looking up from her order book only to have a shock so large that she dropped her book and pen straight to the floor. Sitting at the table right in front of her was none other than Miss Quinn Fabray. The girl whom she had endured a confusing relationship with during high school, all the while she had the biggest crush on her. Rachel had about three seconds to decide whether to stay and take her order, or to run back to the kitchen and try to get someone else to serve them. But Rachel made no decisions, she just stood there, staring and thinking and before she knew it, one of the guys at the table had thrown an eraser at her head.

"Are you okay lady?" he said and she stammered out a yes, all the while not letting her eyes leave Quinn, who was still looking down at her page.

"Guys, I think we should maybe go back to the library and see if they have anything…" she began to say as she looked up, but was lost for words when she looked at the brunette girl. Rachel Berry was the last person she was expecting to see here at the diner on Broadway, although if she had thought about it, it really wouldn't have been a surprise.

"Rachel," she said looking her up and down, her expression still blank. The girl sure had changed in the two years since she had seen her. Long gone were the bangs that seemed just that little bit too straight and in its replacement, a long, swaying fringe that hung to the side. Gone were the animal sweaters, pleated skirts and long socks and here was a Rachel in high heels with the most elegant beauty she had ever seen.

"Quinn", Rachel said blankly, but with a hint of surprise.

"You too know each other?" the guy to the right whom had thrown the eraser stated. He was ignored for a second, before Quinn gave him an unusual nod and continued staring, "Whatever, I'll have a black coffee and a toasted sandwich thanks."

Rachel came out of her trance and wrote down his order, before asking if anyone else needed anything. The other girl and guy at the table seemed engrossed in their work and Quinn simply shook her head, so Rachel walked away to fill the order. Quinn Fabray, god, she didn't know how to feel. She stood at the counter, making the coffee, contemplating the last three minutes of her life. Part of her was angry that Quinn had come to the diner looking so god damned gorgeous and made Rachel's heart skip a beat, even though she did everything she could to be over Quinn Fabray. Part of her was curious. She knew Quinn didn't go to NYADA, but she wondered what school she did go to if she is around the area, and what she was doing with herself.

"Fancy seeing you here Rachel", Rachel heard and looked up only to see a smug looking Quinn in front of her. Rachel looked at her nervously, giving herself an internal pep talk. Rachel told herself that this wasn't high school anymore and that she was a grown ass woman who was about to get her first starring role on Broadway and she wasn't a self-conscious wreck who was waiting to get slushied anymore.

"Yeah, hi Quinn, Rachel said continuing to make coffee as she spoke, "it's good to see you. Are you living in New York now?"

"No, I'm at Yale in New Haven, but I have no classes today and my dorm roommate is crazy annoying, so my group and I took a field trip up to the city to work on a philosophy assignment and see our favorite band perform tonight. What about you Rachel? Are you living in the city?"

"Yes, I am. I have a loft apartment about ten minutes from here and I'm at NYADA. I used to live with Kurt, but he has gone home for the rest of the semester to help his dad with some stuff."

"Oh, yeah, Puck told me about Kurt's dad, that sucks. But I guess it is good Kurt gets to spend some time with him. Do you ever go back to visit Lima Rachel?"

"No, not really. My dad's come out here to celebrate the big holidays, because they can see a show, and I don't really have anyone in Lima that I would want to see, except Mr. Shue, who visits from time to time when he is in the city."

"Oh, well that explains why I haven't run into you for two years. You look good Rachel."

"Umm, thanks, you too Quinn," Rachel said, willing her heart to stop racing. This was a schoolgirl crush and she was no longer a schoolgirl!

"Rachel, hey, can you race up the street and leave these fliers at the theatre? They ran out and they are our best advertising," Frank, the owner said and handed them to her, "Belinda will take care of your tables while you are gone.

Rachel nodded and took the fliers, heading towards the door.

"Hey Rachel," Quinn said calling her back once more, "It was good seeing you Rachel." She said and headed back to her table. It was more than just good seeing Rachel Berry, it was a blessing. Quinn Fabray had been feeling a low point in her routine and running into someone like Rachel was something that could definitely liven up her life.

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	2. Chapter 2

Back again

Here is the next chapter.

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Rachel had been in a state since the encounter with Quinn, and not a good one. Sure, it had been nice, seeing Quinn and all, but it brought back so many memories of McKinley and the fool she had made of herself trying to be friends with Quinn in the hope that it would be enough. As she soaked in a bubble bath on Saturday morning, she tried to put Quinn out of her mind. After all, Quinn wasn't living in the city; she was just in town for the day. It wasn't as if Rachel would ever see her again.

She kind of wished she could though, just a part of her. She remembered the odd sensation that she had felt when Quinn actually seemed happy to see her. It had seemed genuine, although she didn't really know this Quinn at all. She leaned back, putting her head under the water for a moment, just thinking, listening to the echoing sound of the water sloshing against the tubs metal frame. She heard her phone ring and rushed up from under the water to answer it.

"Hello?" Rachel said before getting a chance to look at her caller ID.

"Hey Rachel, how's things?" she heard Kurt say in a slightly stressed voice.

"Things are good here Kurt, and with you? How is your dad?" Rachel said getting straight to the point, she knew that voice; Kurt needed someone to talk to.

"He is okay at the moment, they say they can treat it and that he will be okay, but it's hard. I've never seen him this lost, this weak, it kills me," he said getting a little teary.

"Oh Kurt, I'm so sorry," Rachel said knowing she was about to offer something she really hoped he would deny, "Do you need me to come down there and help you out?"

"No Rachel," he said knowing both that it wouldn't help and that Rachel would be miserable every moment that she had to be in Lima. She hated the place even more than he did, "I will be okay, hopefully, the Chemo and radiation will get the rest of it and he will be in recovery. There really isn't much at can be done until we know how that works out."

"Okay, but is there anything else I can do?" Rachel asked knowing Kurt was exhausted and needed comfort.

"Well, there is one thing, can you distract me. Tell me everything that is going on in your life right now? I miss the city and I miss you!"

"Oh, well, something interesting did happen yesterday when I was at work," she said partly reluctant to talk about it.

"Okay, well what, was there another impromptu performance gone wrong?" he asked with a laugh.

"No, I ran into someone," Rachel said giving nothing else away.

"Who?" Kurt said sounding like he was on the edge of his seat waiting for an answer.

"Quinn," Rachel said, but it came out as more of a question than a statement.

"Quinn? Like Quinn Fabray Quinn?" he asked suddenly sounding like I had run into Brad Pitt at work.

"Yes, like Quinn Fabray, my high school crush, the girl who didn't want to even be my friend, Quinn Fabray," Rachel said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It wasn't till the entire sentence had come out that she realized what she had just revealed. She had never told anyone that she had been crushing on Quinn Fabray, and now she had just blurted it right out to Kurt.

"What!" was all he could muster up as a response? Kurt, gay Kurt didn't know that Rachel had felt like that about any girl, let alone Quinn Fabray, and he had lived with her for two years. Granted, she had dated one person in that time, and he wasn't exactly in it for the long haul, but still. "Okay, when I get home, you will tell me everything you have been keeping from me for two years! I didn't even know you were into girls, let alone Quinn Fabray."

"It wasn't something I had thought about in a very long time, trust me, but yeah, I liked her, all through high school. And how did you not know I liked girls, you haven't seen me drooling over that girl Danny at work?" she asked, partly surprised that he hadn't figured it out and slightly proud that she had been able to hide it.

"But what about Finn, and Puck, and Jesse and even Brodie?" he asked suddenly confused. He had dated one girl, or made out with one rather, and the whole time it had felt wrong, like it wasn't natural or something.

"I don't know Kurt, I liked them, although it wasn't till Brodie that I felt like I should be physically attracted to them and all of that. I don't know, it isn't that I don't like boys exactly, it's just that I do like Quinn, who is a girl and all of that," I said trying to explain. I still didn't exactly understand it myself, but I don't really feel like I should be labeling it, at least not now.

"Well, this is certainly the distraction I was looking for. Not the one I was expecting, but certainly the one I was looking for. Are you going to see her again, did you ask her out, did anything actually happen when you saw her? Did she see you, tell me woman!" he said hastily.

"I don't think so Kurt, she was just in town for the day, she goes to Yale in New Haven. We talked a little, she said it was good to see me, but then she went back to her table as I headed out the door. She was gone when I got back, and I don't think I'll see her again, at least not around here."

"If you like her so much, why didn't you say anything?"

"Kurt, that was years ago and besides, I was working!"

"Excuses Rachel," he said with a small laugh, "If you see her again, maybe take a chance?"

"Right, sure, I promise, if she ever comes into the diner again and talks to me and gives me any inkling that she likes me too, I'll say something, okay? It isn't like she is ever going to come into the diner again is it?"

"I guess, anyway Rachel, I have to go, I have some things to get done before I head off to the hospital with dad for some more treatment."

"Okay, bye Kurt," she said and hung up the phone, sinking back into the bath once more before hoping out. She forgot about the promise that she had just made, simply because it was not like she would see Quinn again in the diner.

QUINNRACHELQUINNRACHEL

Quinn hadn't stopped thinking about her encounter with Rachel since she had seen the brunette make her way out of the café that day. It had been something she wasn't sure what to feel about. She had never given Rachel much thought, not since high school, because her and Rachel weren't that close. That wasn't from Rachel's lack of trying, but from Quinn's sheer lack of respect for herself and those around her.

But after leaving Lima, Quinn had changed a lot. Gone were the days where everything had to be prim and proper, Quinn had let herself make quite a few mistakes since then. She had dated one of her professors, an old man whom she had spent her first semester seeing in secret before she realized he wasn't the guy for her. The physical aspects were great, but there was just no emotion there. Then she had slept with Santana at Mr Shue's wedding and at the time, she had thought it was a huge mistake, but even that opened her eyes up to something she wouldn't have seen otherwise. There was a possibility that she might be attracted to females as well as males.

Well, today had confirmed that, she was definitely attracted to one Miss Rachel Berry. Too bad Rachel had looked like a deer in the headlights when she had seen Quinn and probably wasn't in a hurry to see her again, but she wasn't sure she should give up yet.

Her classmates hadn't really let it go yet, the fact that they could see she was drooling over Rachel, they kept asking about her. She didn't really know what to tell them. She was a friend, I guess, but Quinn really knew nothing about her except for what she knew from high school and what she had learned today. Quinn was beginning to think that she would have to make another trip to the city quite soon.

Quinn wondered if there were any shows she could see Rachel in, if she had made it on Broadway yet. She fantasized just a little bit about showing up to one of Rachel's shows with some flowers and a hug. But she had to put those thoughts out of her mind; because she didn't even really know Rachel anymore, but it couldn't hurt to find out could it.

QUINNRACHELQUINNRACHEL

By Sunday morning, Quinn decided she would wonder no more and headed back into the city. She wasn't sure if Rachel was working, but she had two plans. If Rachel was working, she would try and see her again, if not, she was going to try and convince one of Rachel's work colleagues to spill their guts on the new and improved version of Rachel Berry. The train ride seemed a lot longer today, but it did give her time to think about everything that was happening, and time to finish off her short story for her fiction class.

When she finally arrived in New York and headed into the diner, she walked in slowly, noticing there wasn't many people around. She suspected Sunday morning most were either hung over students, spending time with their families or about to catch a matinee show. It didn't matter, she headed down to the back of the diner, the same place she had sat the last time and tried to look inconspicuous. She saw a male staff member first, but he was a kitchen hand, she could tell by the fact that he wore a while outfit rather than the red one the servers wear. She saw a blonde girl with crazy curly hair and she saw a honey brunette girl who was wiping the counter.

The honey brunette girl noticed Quinn, not long after Quinn had noticed her and headed over to the table, Quinn guessed to take her order.

"Hi, what can I get for you today?" the waitress asked looking at Quinn.

"Umm, I was wondering if you were the only waitress who could serve me?" Quinn said slowly, not realizing what she had said until the girl looked horrified and offended.

"Listen here, I'm a great waitress and you're lucky…" she barked at Quinn before she was cut off.

"No, that's not what I meant, I'm looking for someone, someone who works here," she said and the girls face softened, but didn't lose the skeptic expression.

"Okay, who are you looking for and why?" she asked and Quinn didn't really know how to explain.

"I guess I'm looking for a friend, kind of, maybe, she's….i know her from a long time ago…"

"Just spit it out, who, and why?"

"Well, her name is Rachel Berry and…"

"Oh, she isn't here," the waitress said and Quinn instantly looked like someone had just kicked her puppy, "Don't look so sad, she isn't dead or anything, she just has a callback audition today. Why are you looking for her anyway?"

"Oh…Just to say hi?" Quinn said, sounding unsure of herself. The waitress looked around the quiet diner for a second before sitting down at the table across from Quinn.

"Hi, my name is Dani, I'm a friend of Rachel's, but I can tell you, I never look like that when she isn't around, you like her don't you?" she said, her expression changing to a smirk. She knew she was right. She had seen the interaction between Rachel and Dani when she was on shift on Friday, and she could see it written all over the blondes face.

"Well…I…"

"Yep, okay, sure, she will be back at work tomorrow, but she might come in tonight depending on how the audition goes. How long are you planning on hanging around here?" Dani asked and Quinn realized she hadn't thought about what she would do if Rachel wasn't here, beyond asking around about her.

"Well, I'm at Yale, and I really should get back to campus tonight, but I don't have much to do until then, except course work and stuff. Do you know what time she might be back this evening?"

"Her audition finishes at 4, or it's supposed to at least, I can always text her, find out, if you want?"

"Why would you help me?" Quinn wondered aloud.

"Because, I saw you two the other day and I have this feeling she would want to see you again, besides, you are so her type."

"Wait, Rachel is into girls?"

"I guess so, although she did date that Bride guy from NYADA, I don't know, I thought you said you know her anyway?"

"I do, I mean, I did, back when we were in high school."

"Oh god, what was Rachel like in high school?" Dani asked and Quinn explained what she could about McKinley and the New Directions.

QUINNRACHELQUINNRACHEL

Rachel headed back to work, confident about her audition. She had received a text from Dani that her paycheck had arrived and that she could pick it up, which was great, as she was paying the full rent alone at the moment. At this rate she would definitely have to look into getting another room mate. She bounced in the door, hearing the entry bell go off and bounced over to the counter, still on a high from her call back. Dani spotted her from the kitchen and pulled her into the staff room.

"So don't hate me, but your pay check wasn't exactly the only reason that I asked you to come down here tonight," she said grinning and Rachel just looked confused.

"Do you need me to finish your shift Dani? I really don't want to, but I guess if…"

"No, Rachel, slow down, it isn't that, it's something else. Someone is here to see you," she said and Rachel looked even more confused.

"Who?"

"A girl."

"A girl?"

"Yes, a blonde girl, her name is Quinn and she went to high school with you and she is totally crushing on you. But if she asks, I didn't mention that last bit," Dani said, still proud of herself.

"Quinn is here?" Rachel said in a panicked voice, although she couldn't hide the happiness in her eyes.

"Yes, she is at the same table as Friday, and we are going to have dinner together tonight, I already invited her."

"You are going on a date with Quinn?" Rachel said suddenly getting very mad.

"No stupid, the three of us, we are going to dinner, and depending how that goes, I might have to leave early so you guys can make googly eyes at each other for a few hours before she has to leave the city."

"Do I get a say in this at all?"

"No, now go talk to her," Dani said practically pushing Rachel out of the kitchen and into the diner area. Rachel took a second to compose herself and thank god that she was wearing something nice as she headed over to Quinn's table. Wow, somehow Quinn had gotten more beautiful since Friday.

"Hi," Rachel said timidly and Quinn looked up from her notebook.

"Hey."

"Twice in one week?"

"I wanted to say hi, again."

"Hi"

"Hi"

"Dani is staring, isn't she?" Rachel said laughing. At least she now had something to break the ice.

"Yep, she is trying to hide half way behind the counter, but I can still see her."

"This is strange."

"Yea, it really is. So…I heard you like woman now?"

"What? Oh, sort of, I guess, some woman," Rachel said in a strange attempt to flirt.

"Cool," clearly Quinn wasn't responding, "You look different you know, since high school I mean."

"Well, things have definitely changed for me, the Rachel you used to know is long gone."

"Oh, well I would like to get to know the new Rachel."

"Good."

"Awesome."

"So, apparently we have a dinner date?"

"Yes we do," Dani said coming up behind them, "My shift is over, so we had better get going. I'm gonna go for Mario's, I'm super hungry and I feel like Italian. Any objections?"

Neither Rachel nor Quinn had any objections to Italian, so they left the diner with Dani doing most of the talking. Rachel and Quinn both tried to hide their giddy smiles.

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_A new chapter should go up next week._


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